filming alone in windy loc with me66 advise?

[patpat]

hi all!

what a great site this is

well i ve got something ahead which is filming a doc on my own in the countryside where it will be windy

i ve got the k6 me 66 combo and a boom pole but most of the time there will be knowone to hold it and i ll be walking after a farmer who is doing his farming work outside in autum winter like possibly even snowy conditions

i figured so far there are wind baskets which will be long, heavy and will need a hand that carries the suspension pistole grip, which as i understood holds the basket, and on top of the basket a hairy cover for max wind protection, right?

i would have to buy all this but....

if i dont have someone to hold that pistole or the boom, what about cam set ups? with my foam windshield if i mount the me66 on the camera, i get camera noise onthe one side but with a hairy cover i would also get the hair i presume in the picture...

so how do people shoot docs on their own in windy locations and manage to do the camera and the sound?

i found a website that offer hairy covers or special fur windshields to be used instead of baskets

http://www.nicolai-equip.de/03eSennheiser.htm

can anybody comment this alternative?:huh:

and how would i mount the mic with this furwindshield on the camera so that it wont end up being visible in the images

sorry for this sort of impossible post

maybe someone can share experiences of similar conditions

thanks for any advise!

 

[ptalsky]

Sorry, but the first response that came to mind is: Why bother. Give up while you're behind.

Okay, now I'll try to tackle the questions seriously.

Camera-mounting a mic is ill-advised, but I do understand there are situations where it can't be avoided. In order to camera-mount successfully, you need a really good mic, and the ME66 isn't a really good mic. I believe someone here even referred to it as crap (oh wait, that was me...). Something like the Sanken CS3e, that has excellent off-axis rejection will help minimize the camera noise you are sure to get with the ME66. Also, if memory serves, the CS3e is shorter than the ME66, so you have less of a chance of it getting in the shot. Another mic that may work for you is the Sennheiser 416. You could probably sell your ME66 to some poor unsuspecting schmuck and pick up a used 416 for about an even trade. I'm using a fairly old 416T with a tuchel connector, got it for $450+50 to send it to the factory for a checkup. Works great.

And, if it is really windy, you will want a full blimp and windsock (aka furry thing). I've never worked with the Rycote partial covers (I went with a blimp straight off...mostly because it looks really cool...especially with the windsock on). But it actually cuts the wind amazingly well. Don't know if they Rycotes will cut a really windy day well enough.

But, and I should have said this up front, it really all depends on what you're doing. If this project is intended for "internal consumption" (i.e. you and your friends to watch over a beer), then your current setup is probably fine. If you're looking to get it into Sundance (well, first off, shoot on film...they don't like video much) then your setup won't even get you past the first cut.

(Some indie distributors came to the SF Indie Club meeting a few months ago, and basically said that once they determine a film was really shot on film, the next thing they do is listen. If they don't like what they hear, nothing else matters. It goes in the "bin". As a sound guy, this was music to my ears....no pun intended).

Okay, long, winding answer, but hopefully you'll find a nugget or two in here that will help.

Phil